[Dons protective gear]
Bumper pad. That's what it is. Bumper pad.
Rivrdog actually got the closest, and I suppose gets constructive credit, when he started talking about using the rope for recovery purposes. [Fishmugger got the closest first, with Rivrdog coming in second.] That is indeed why the ropes were on the jeeps, and the troops figured out pretty quick that you could store them on the bumpers and they served a secondary purpose of being a pad for pushing vehicles. Sisal is really pretty tough stuff.
I'm waiting on my stencils. I've decided to model the Castle Technical after a gun jeep in the Berlin Brigade in the '50s. The M38A1 spent most of it's time as a Cold Warrior, being introduced as Korea was winding down, and being replaced by the M151 as Vietnam heated up, so that seems appropriate. Fort Leavenworth hasn't had a local tactical warfighting unit since 1905, and the warfighting unit it had during the Cold War, D 5/55 Artillery, a Nike-Hercules anti-aircraft unit operational from '60-'69, was a fixed strategic asset and didn't have jeeps. They had heavy trucks for moving their missiles around from storage to maintenance to the launcher magazines, but the battery commander had a staff car. Which, talking to some of the greybeards around here, really chapped some of the Colonels that over-populate this place, who had gone from being brigade commanders with fawning staffs to just another eagle wandering around Bell Hall. Seeing that Captain motoring off to the Olathe Naval Air Station (where the battalion headquarters was located), for Commander and Staff Call, while they had to drive themselves around... ah, the wounded dignity.
The other local unit of note, the 35th Division, had no wartime roles between WWII and it's deployment for Bosnia, and later, Iraq. So, the Berlin Brigade seemed a good choice - especially since I have some pics of the jeeps, both in parade and field mode.
Bumper pad. That's what it is. Bumper pad.
I'm waiting on my stencils. I've decided to model the Castle Technical after a gun jeep in the Berlin Brigade in the '50s. The M38A1 spent most of it's time as a Cold Warrior, being introduced as Korea was winding down, and being replaced by the M151 as Vietnam heated up, so that seems appropriate. Fort Leavenworth hasn't had a local tactical warfighting unit since 1905, and the warfighting unit it had during the Cold War, D 5/55 Artillery, a Nike-Hercules anti-aircraft unit operational from '60-'69, was a fixed strategic asset and didn't have jeeps. They had heavy trucks for moving their missiles around from storage to maintenance to the launcher magazines, but the battery commander had a staff car. Which, talking to some of the greybeards around here, really chapped some of the Colonels that over-populate this place, who had gone from being brigade commanders with fawning staffs to just another eagle wandering around Bell Hall. Seeing that Captain motoring off to the Olathe Naval Air Station (where the battalion headquarters was located), for Commander and Staff Call, while they had to drive themselves around... ah, the wounded dignity.
The other local unit of note, the 35th Division, had no wartime roles between WWII and it's deployment for Bosnia, and later, Iraq. So, the Berlin Brigade seemed a good choice - especially since I have some pics of the jeeps, both in parade and field mode.
Stand by for instalanche from the trenchcoated set...
JoA: Of course I did.
That confused him sufficiently to change the subject to *shoes*...
Dadblast all this dust in the air...
'Mugger - since the jeep sits in the garage, gets driven onto a trailer, drives in a parade, gets driven back on to a trailer... I'm not so worried about it, eh?
And it's not like it's expensive at $0.25 a foot.
None.at.all.
Aaah...that ain't antique rope. You put something new on an antique and it's a repro.
OK, I'm gonna nitpick here, and it may be because I don't know wherefrom. Having driven a Land Rover around for several years, I can tell you, I would not have a sisal rope on anything requiring strength. When i went offroading, there were plenty of guys with jeeps, and they also knew not to trust their vehicles to sisal. The fibers are too short, and not resistant to sunlight. The only rope I ever saw wrapped around the bumper of a Jeep was manila. As was the rope wrapped around the bumper of my Land Rover. And they were all 1" or better.
So: Enquiring minds want to know. Did Uncle Sam in his infinite wisdom see fit to equip Yeeps with notably and demonstrably inferior recovery ropes? That wouldn't surprise me at all. And if it's for show purposes only, I suppose the sisal is fine.
If you ever want a real recovery rope, I have a local guy who has good manila rope. And I can long and short splice and crown end and eye splice it for you, though I suppose you've probably done plenty of that yourself. Whatever you do, don't stand between vehicles being towed or pulled with sisal rope.
Or are you farb, too? ;^ )
Og - while rope predates my time in service, I suspect we were using manila. And if I ever have to snatch that jeep it will either be with the towbar on the front, or a good chain or cable.
Not rope, manila or otherwise. That rope on the bumper is for just what I said it was - a bumper pad.
I'm getting this thing in parade shape, not beat-it-to-death spend a fortune on parts mudding shape. She survived decades of being an Army jeep and a volunteer firefighting jeep. She deserves a dignified retirement where she doesn't have to work too hard, or take too many risks. Heh. The same could be said for me.
It's interesting the view people take on jeeps. I get reverent looks from preservers and history types, and disgusted looks from people who don't understand having a jeep and not having it be in mud to your knees sitting in the body.
Oh, and disgusted looks from preservers who are miffed that the canvas is only NOS, and not original to the jeep. And who will never accept this jeep because the fire department dumped the dataplates, and even original plates from a different jeep are unacceptable. Yeah, I've had a guy tell me I might as well junk it if I don't have the original plates. I don't understand those guys, I admit.
This jeep is a couple of years older than I am - I'm going to treat it nice, and savor the moments in parades when people look at it with that look in their eyes.
You know - envy.
I do hope you took the batteries out!
Glad you said that. When I'd read Og's comment recommending manila, my first thought was "huh? only good tow rope is made of metal."
hey, I think it looks like a hoot. I'm very happy for you. And perfect authenticity/cleanstreeters be damned, it's yours, do with it what makes you happy!!
Not tow rope. Recovery rope. And metal is a horribly bad choice.
If he shows up this year I'll get his email for you. I think he said it was his fathers Jeep. Oh well...I now have a mission...just can't sit around drinking beer all day.
My Darling Chief....it's rope, not hemp.
Speaking of buying by the ounce...
Missouri Plates!!! Shouldn't that Pony be principally garaged on the other side of the river?
[/Snerk]
pay the scam feeget the VIN checked until Tuesday, so I can't get it registered before then.forevertwo years in forwarding us her pedigree, so we couldn't register her with AKA until much latter.